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Social Studies/Y4/Globalisation
__TOC__ =Globalisation= What is Globalisation? Definitions *“… it refers to the fact that the world has become a smaller and ever more interconnected place: products are sources from far-flung corners of the globe; capital is electronically exchanged between countries; time and distance have been eroded by the advent of jet air travel; messages can be sent to a friend in another country as easily and quickly as they can to a friend in an adjacent room; companies focus on global rather than national markets; and individual nation-states respond to developments that occur in distant countries.” - Blair, A. & Curtis, S. (2009) *“… a set of social processes '''that appear to transform our present social condition of weakening nationality into one of globality… a social condition characterised by '''tight global economic, political, cultural, and environmental connections and flows make most of the currently existing borders and boundaries irrelevant.”- Manfred B. Steger (2009) *“… a transplanetary process or set of processes involving increasing liquidity and the growing multi-dimensional flows of people, objects, places and information as well as the structures they encounter and create that are barriers to, or expedite, those flows.” - George Ritzer (2011) Conceptualising Globalisation *“Solid” and “liquid” *“Flows” of people, things and information *“Heavy”, “light” and “weightless” *Structures that expedite or impede “flows”: bridges and barriers Different Views of Globalisation *Globalists regard globalisation be an inevitable process. *Positive globalists consider that globalisation brings considerable benefits by opening trading links which will improve living standards. *Pessimistic globalists criticise the disproportionate impact of large companies and question the extent to which globalisation brings equal benefits. *Sceptics believe that the case for globalisation has been overstated and argue that nation-states are the main forces that shape the global agenda. How did globalisation come about? History of globalisation Various perspectives with regard to globalisation’s origins: *'Cycles' – globalisation is a long-term cyclical process; there have been other global ages *'Epochs' – six great epochs or “waves” of globalisation occurring sequentially *'Events' – specific, significant historical events (e.g. imperial wars of conquest, discoveries & technological developments) accelerated process of globalisation Therborn’s (2000) six great epochs: *4th-7th century: globalisation of religions (e.g. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) *Late 15th century: European colonial conquests *Late 18th to early 19th century: intra-European wars *Mid 19th century to 1918: European imperialism *Post-World War II *Post-Cold War Broader, more recent changes: *The emergence of the US as the global power in the years following WWII *The emergence of multinational corporations *The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War *''Transnational terrorism (?)'' Dimensions of Globalisation Economic Drivers *Emergence of the global economic order *Developments in transport & communications *The rise of transnational corporations (TNCs) Impacts Positive Impacts *Rapid post-WWII economic growth *Increased trade in goods and services *Movement of capital Negative Impacts *Rising inequality (North-South divide) *Iniquitous distribution of income among countries *Widening income gaps within countries *Loss of autonomy in the pursuit of economic policies *Economic insecurity and volatility Political Cultural Globalisation